Welsh Harlequin

[Nebraskagirl]

You do have beautiful babies there. My two Welsh Harlequins are just a week or so behind yours and we are going through the same thing I have a silver and a gold phase. Their mother is a golden and their father is a silver. As long as they are healthy, that's all you can ask for.

 

[Weezy58]

Thanks! They really are a pretty breed. I'm still trying to get the phases straight... All of our females are getting blue wing patches and the drake is getting a blue-green one. Does that make them all silver phase??

 

[Nebraskagirl]

Thanks! They really are a pretty breed. I'm still trying to get the phases straight... All of our females are getting blue wing patches and the drake is getting a blue-green one. Does that make them all silver phase??

Yep. This site helped me tell the difference:
http://www.moosemanorfarms.com/about-welsh-harlequin-ducks.html

 

[Weezy58]

That's a terrific site - thanks! I agree with you - ours look like silver phase. Interesting that it says the females often don't get their true coloration until they're two years old. It's going to be fun to watch them grow up!

 

[Nebraskagirl]

That's a terrific site - thanks! I agree with you - ours look like silver phase. Interesting that it says the females often don't get their true coloration until they're two years old. It's going to be fun to watch them grow up!

Yes, I have noticed a lot of changes with my WH duck and she is just over a year old. The babies are really fun to watch mature. There is a 90 percent accuracy of sexing them upon hatch, which I did when our two hatched. HOWEVER, though the beak said female, I am becoming more and more convinced my "Thelma" is not a female. Just remember that if you hatch some

 

[Weezy58]

Lol - we had that happen with our last batch of Swedish. We were sure one beautiful black duckling was a drake so we named him Rex (the kids said he had T-Rex feet). But when Rex started quacking, "he" became Rexy!

They named our WH drake Harley and the ducks Hedwig, Henrietta and Herdis

 

[Muse7]

My first five ducks came from Dana at Moose Manor. She is really great. She gets all or almost all her stock from Holdereade (sp).
The WH hen I got from her is an excellent layer and sweet as you please. The Blue runner hen I got has already out laid the predictions of most of the
"this is how many eggs a Runner hen will lay". The drake WH. we got from her is featured in my side pick before he molted. He looks nothing like his old pic. Beautiful black and green head with white penciling around his eyes. The other drake I got was a mix of Cayuga and WH, bu he came out all Cayuga in appearance.

She has been fabulous to speak with and run ideas past, etc. If you're close enough to her location in MD, it's worth considering her for future duckling purchases.

Best,

Liz

 

[Nebraskagirl]

Lol - we had that happen with our last batch of Swedish. We were sure one beautiful black duckling was a drake so we named him Rex (the kids said he had T-Rex feet). But when Rex started quacking, "he" became Rexy!

They named our WH drake Harley and the ducks Hedwig, Henrietta and Herdis

Yeah. Here is the duck in question I have:


Either way it is ok. But yeah, beak sexing is not for sure, just so you know

 

[Weezy58]

Have to agree with you Nebraskagirl - that's a little boy voice if I've ever heard one! And he looks larger than his gal friend too. Fun to see a video - they make a cute couple!!

I've read that beak color sexing has a 90% accuracy rate with WHs - guess you've got the one-in-ten.

 

[maryhysong]

Yeah. Here is the duck in question I have:


Either way it is ok. But yeah, beak sexing is not for sure, just so you know

the first one with dark head and butt is probably a boy and the second one with less color is probably a girl.